


A Morning in Locksley

by LadyMarianne



Category: Robin Hood (BBC 2006), Robin Hood - All Media Types
Genre: BBC's Robin Hood, Deviates From Canon, F/M, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Reunions, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-06
Updated: 2015-11-06
Packaged: 2018-04-30 05:45:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5152535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyMarianne/pseuds/LadyMarianne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is my alternative -slightly funnier- meeting of Robin and Marian when he came back from the Holy Land the first time. Slightly different from canon in that it happens in Locksley, but the gist is very similar to that of the show. </p><p>This story was originally posted on fanfiction in 2009, but has been recently edited and consequently changed a lot, so if you think you have already read it, you might want to take another look.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Morning in Locksley

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first Robin Hood fic on fanfiction, so while I edited it and changed a few things, I'm not sure I'm completely satisfied with the way it came out. I tried to stay as closed to canon as I possibly could, and as a result I'm afraid my characters come across colder than I intended them. My view on the show in general and the characters in particular has changed over the years -bare in mind I was really young when I first wrote this-, and you will hopefully see it as I get round to posting the rest of my stories.

She would never know what it was that drove her to Locksley even after its master was gone. Perhaps it was some morbid pleasure of hers. Perhaps it was he subconscious that made her come here, hoping every time that what she found was different. That people were happy, warm, well fed and, above all, that Gisborne wasn’t Lord of the Manor. Or maybe she just liked being in the place where she had been so happy --in the house of the one she had been most happy with-- now that things had changed so much and would never be the same.

 

Whatever the reason, every other day Marian would climb on her horse and ride to Locksley. Sometimes she would get angry with herself and tried not to do it, but she would always cave in the end. In past five years, she had only managed to go on for four days without sneaking into the house where she had spent so many afternoons at when she was a kid.

 

Sometimes she was able to remain unseen; other times, however, she wasn’t so lucky.

 

It was during one of her unfortunate visits that she met Guy of Gisborne. He had found her roaming around _the_ garden (to this day she refused to consider Locksley as his house) and asked her what she wanted. Knowing that she couldn’t tell him the truth, she had been forced to make up a lie, one she still regretted and one which consequences she still had to put up with.

 

 _“I came to see you, my Lord.”_ She had said as sweetly as she could manage. _“I have heard so many wonderful things of you that when my father told me you had been appointed to take care of the Locksley state I couldn’t resist the urge to come and meet you.”_

 

Had she known that Gisborne would take her words so seriously, she never would have uttered them. She would rather hang that have him believe she was in any way interest in his affections. But she couldn’t have anticipated that he would take a liking for her and that he would spend the rest three years trying to… _romance_ her. 

 

She had been very annoyed by him at the beginning. But as she got to know him, she realized he wasn’t so bad. It was the Sheriff that was the problem: if it weren’t for him, Gisborne could probably be if not a nice man, at least a tolerable one. But he was avid for power, and in his mind only the Sheriff could give him what he most anxiously craved. There was nothing that Marian could say that would make him change his mind.

 

As time went by, she found that she wasn’t as repulsed by his presence as someone with her beliefs ought to be. It was only when the image of one Robin of Locksley crept uninvited to her mind –usually at night, when she was powerless to stop them– that she would feel guilty. It didn’t matter that she had broken their engagement long ago, or that he was most likely dead by now. Or even that she was supposed to be angry with him, should he by some miracle return to her. The truth was that she still loved Robin of Locksley –had done so ever since she could remember, even when he flirted with other girls to make her jealous, even when he made fun of her as kids, even when she told him she hated him for leaving her.

 

Even when he broke her heart.

 

She loved Robin and letting herself have feelings for _Gisborne_ felt even more like a betrayal than having feelings for anyone else.

 

It was usually after these nearly sleepless nights that Marian would go to Locksley. Here, where his presence was most clear, where most of her happiest memories had been made, it was easier to imagine that he was still out there, still fighting, still loving her, and that one day he _would_ come back to her, all cheerful and smug, like he always was. When she was here, it was her heart and not her mind that ruled her for a change.

 

“Father, I’m going for a ride.” She announced one morning after a particularly painful night of reminiscence.

 

“Very well. Don’t be late, though. Remember that we have to go to the castle today.” Edward reminded her. He had long since stopped questioning her about her rides, knowing full well where she was going –or rather, what she was doing. Try as she might to fool everyone, she could never fool her father, not that he had ever told her. He held little hope that Robin would return, so if she needed these private moments with his memory to go on with her life, then far from him to stop her. He certainly wished she would confide in him –or anyone else, for the matter–, but knew his daughter too well to imagine that she would. What she needed was Robin, and if she couldn’t have it, this would have to make do. For now, Edward could allow it.

 

For now.

 

“I will be back in a short while.” She assured him. She really had no intention of staying long. Just to look at the house, perhaps check with one of the servants if they had gotten any news from the Holy Lands, although she didn’t imagine anything had changed since her last visit two days ago.

 

She went to the stables, got on her horse and set off, praying that Gisborne was already in the castle because she didn’t feel like dealing with him today.

 

Something had changed. The moment she got into town she could tell. People seemed if not happier, at least more at ease than she had seen them in a while. There were also no guards at the entrance, which was odd, considering Guy was only rarely seen without a small army to protect him –although Marian wasn’t sure exactly _what_ he needed protection from.

 

She walked her horse to the stables and was surprised to find it nearly empty. Only Robin’s horses remained. Guy’s and his servant’s were gone. That was good. It meant that he was not home.

 

She walked back to the house and paused in front of the door, considering what to do next. If Guy wasn’t home, there was really no reason for her knocking. She could go through the back door, find one of the maids and ask her what was going on.

 

On the other hand, however, this seemed to be like the perfect opportunity for the Nightwatchman to visit. Gisborne was gone, the house was unguarded… how often did that happen? Very, very rarely.

 

What Edward didn’t know (because if he did he would definitely not be happy about it) was that Marian had found another way besides reminiscing to help with her peace of mind.

 

Robin’s departure had done much more than break her young heart. When her father’s health began to decline, another Sheriff –one much more attuned to Prince John’s interests– had stepped up to the plate. Marian had been too wrapped in her own misery to really notice before it was too late, and without Robin there just wasn’t anyone brave enough or petulant enough to confront Vaisey and his men. And so Nottingham had been slowly but surely going to pieces, while the rest of the nobles sat idly by and watched.

 

Mills closed, houses destroyed, peasants starved to death... it was a pitiful sight, but at the very least it was what brought Marian back from the brick. One look around herself one afternoon while she was at Nottingham and she knew what she had to do.

 

She had to stop this.

 

And so Marian had become the Nightwatchman, and every so often she would dress up in some clothes she had especially made for the occasion, put on a mask and ride around the shire giving out food and coins to those who needed it the most. It wasn’t as good as opening defying the Sheriff –as she was _certain_ Robin would do if he were still with them–, but like this she could keep her position as a well-respected member of society and she could look after her father, who needed her as much any peasant needed the Nightwatchman.

 

She was a rather skilled fighter –her favourite activity as a little girl had been engaging in fights with Robin and his servant Much rather than doing “some silly, lady-appropriated thing”, like embroidering or cooking. But Locksley was usually so heavily guarded that not even she dared to break into it to steal from Gisborne.

 

Today, seemingly unprotected as it was, was a good day to try.

 

She didn’t have her costume with her, but that was actually a good thing. As the Nightwatchman, probably the most wanted criminal in Nottingham shire, she could hardly parade around the town in broad daylight. For once, she had more chances of being inconspicuous as Lady Marian than as anyone else.

 

Glancing nervously over her shoulder to make sure that no one was watching her, she pushed the door opened and stepped inside. She didn’t pause at the deserted hall and made her way directly to the staircase, carefully avoiding to step on the second step, knowing that it would creak under her weight –Robin had taught her that long ago.

 

When she got to the first floor, she walked directly to the master bedroom. She knew for a fact that Robin’s old room was used as the storage for the money from the taxes –Gisborne himself had told her that–, but it was one thing to be in _his house_ ; she couldn’t even bare to think of being in _his_ _room_. She would have to be content with stealing only Gisborne’s money.

 

She paused in front of the door and waited for a sound, but there was none. She smiled proudly at herself and pushed the door opened.

 

She should have realized that just because there weren’t any loud noises, it didn’t mean that the room was empty. Hadn’t she been so anxious to get out, she probably would have realized that maybe she was being slightly reckless in her actions, but as it was, she didn’t –not until she had barged into the room to find a tall, lean man in the process of changing his clothes.

 

“What the…?” he exclaimed as he spun around at the sound of the commotion.

 

“Ooohh.” She breathed.

 

She took one large stride backwards, closing the door as she did. She ended up against the back wall, her face as red the covers of the bed.

 

Thinking that it had been Gisborne who she had just seen half naked –and by that she meant wearing only a pair of trousers–, Marian slipped to the floor, embarrassment clouding her thoughts for a few moments. Slowly, very slowly, she began to note some things she had missed before. For instance, that the bare skin of his back was darker than Guy’s; more tanned. She also realized that this man’s hair was shorter and light brown, rather than long and dark. Finally, she realized that the eyes that had landed on her for a short moment before the door got in their way were not blue. They were green, and not at all unfamiliar.

 

She lifted her head from her knees and stared disbelievingly at the door.

 

“Robin?” she barely mouthed. She meant to shout his name, but there was no air in her lungs for her to do so. It couldn’t be… It was impossible… And yet…

 

Gathering all her strength, she picked herself up from the floor. She had to take another look. She had to make sure it was really him before she let herself feel hope.

 

Slowly this time, she walked back to the door and reached out for the doorknob. But her fingers had barely brushed the metal ring when the door burst opened and _he_ stepped out. Not knowing that she was still there and in a rush to get to her before she could flee his state, he meant to run out of his room, but ended up crashing into her instead.

 

The impact almost threw Marian backwards, but he was still the boy with quick reflexes she had once known so he wrapped his arm around her waist just in time. As a result, she was left staring at the light green eyes she had almost thought she would never see again.

 

They remained in silence for a few moments, lost in the other’s eyes. It was him who spoke first, as usual.

 

“Do you think is appropriate, Maid Marian, to barge into someone else’s room uninvited?”

 

She allowed herself half a second to marvel at the sound of his voice –so playful, so carefree, so _him_. She blinked, though, and the moment was over.

 

Years and years of worry and sadness and pain, and suddenly here he was now. She had cried herself dry for him; she had prayed until she grew hoarse for him. She had hoped and prayed that he would come back to her and he had. He _had!_

And now he was taunting her.

 

When Robin had come to tell her goodbye, Marian had thought she was losing not only the man she was supposed to be marrying in a few months time, but also her best friend. When she thought back on that day during one of her regular sleepless nights, she had realized that that wasn’t really true –she had actually lost him long before he left. The man who had come to say goodbye to her, the man who had stood in her living room and informed both her and her father that he was sorry to tell them that he had decided to join King Richard in the Holy Land hadn’t been Robin. The man who had walked by her side on market day the week before that hadn’t been Robin. The man who had shot her one last remorseful smile before bowing down to her hadn’t been Robin.

 

Not the Robin she knew. The Robin she loved.

 

 _Her_ Robin didn’t talk to her through her father; he climbed through her window after dark and talked to her.

 

 _Her_ Robin didn’t walk quietly besides her; he complained and challenged her and made her roll her eyes at some idiocy or another.

 

 _Her_ Robin didn’t smile remorsefully at her, he smirked, and he certainly didn’t bow down to her, he waited until they were alone and he kissed her.

 

But above all, her Robin made her laugh, made her feel happier than she had ever been. That man who had come to say goodbye... That was who Robin had become after deciding he had to go, but it wasn’t the _real_ him.

 

 _This_ was the real him. This was _her_ Robin. The one who taunted her when he should be apologizing; the one who held her much too tighter than what was proper. The one whose eyes shone with amusement and joy, and only a slight hint of guilt.

 

Robin was back.

 

This, however, wasn’t the real her either. The one who was willing to forgive him for any folly just because she loved him... She had never done such a thing, and she would most definitely not going to start now. He probably didn’t expect her to, anyway; he knew her too well for that.

 

So Marian took stock of her emotions, but saved them to be dwelt upon later, when she was away from Robin’s prying eyes. For now, she was determined to be herself.

 

She placed both her hands on his chest –he had thrown on a shirt before going after her, but she didn’t miss how toned he felt against her touch– and pushed him away. He smiled, knowing that he was much too strong for her, but he still helped her to a more appropriated position.

 

“I see you still have a taste for trouble.” He commented lightly, his eyes roaming her petite figure before finally settling back on her eyes –her bright blue eyes that she was currently rolling at him. That made his smile widened even more.

 

Not unlike Marian, he would never admit what was going on inside his head –at least not like this: he wasn’t going to blurt out how terrified he had been of not seeing her again, how relieved he was that she was there, how much he craved to feel her soft skin against his finger again and how desperately he wanted to kiss her again. He would, eventually; he would try to make amends, he would try to make her understand how sorry he was for leaving her. He would try to win her back –in time. But not now.

 

At this precise moment, there was but one thought in his head and that was how much he _needed_ to hear her voice again. He had dreamt of her these past five years, and he had recently started to realize that she was starting to fade away. He wasn’t forgetting her –he doubted he _could_ forget her, even if he tried–, but he had recently come to realize that he had some trouble picking the exact shade of blue her eyes were and that her voiced sounded distant even in his memories. So he needed her to talk.

 

“And I see you are still a prat.” She spat, though her eyes danced with the joy she wasn’t completely able to rein in. “I don’t know what I expected, really.”

 

He laughed. “Don’t try to act like you are mad, Marian. We both know that you love me for that.”

 

“And arrogant too! If I didn’t know any better, Robin, I would think that you never left; that no time has passed since our last meeting. You haven’t changed one bit.”

 

She regretted her words as soon as she saw how dark his expression became.

 

“I _have_ change.” He assured her and his voice is somehow softer, making her wonder what happened to him when he was away. Of course, Robin was not one to remain solemn for a long while. “But don’t worry, milady. Around you, I will be my usual charming self.”

 

“You mean your “usual _obnoxious_ self”?” she rolled her eyes. “Lovely.”

 

He laughed again. It had been too long since he had last laughed like this. It was being with her that made him feel so free again. The horrors he had seen meant nothing when she was around.

 

“Anyway, I have to go.” She said, suddenly remembering her promise to her father. Besides, it wasn’t as if she could stay like this with Robin forever. Sooner or later one of them would say something that would rub the other one the wrong way and all hell would break loose. It was a small miracle that they had made it this far without fighting, so she supposed it would be better to quit while they were ahead. There would be plenty of time for fights in the future, she thought –and she couldn’t help but feeling giddy at the thought that there _was_ a future; that Robin was back in her life, presumably for good. “Father won’t be happy if I don’t make it in time to the Council of Nobles.”

 

Something she said must have surprised him, because his eyes suddenly lit up in the most peculiar way.

 

 “How is Edward?”

 

Not understanding the sudden change in his manner, it was a moment before she replied.

 

“I don’t see how that is any of your concern, but he is doing just fine, thank you very much.”

 

“Edward was like a father to me when mine died. He was of great assistance when I first became Lord of these lands and it is only understandable that I am interest in his well-being.” He explained, sounding a little too innocent for Marian’s liking. “How does he manage now that he is no longer the Sheriff? I know he always preferred to live in Knighton, but I suppose he must get awfully lonely in the Hall.”

 

“I can assure you that my father is in no want for company. Most people find me the most agreeable of companions –you would know, if only you could stay in the same place for more than five minutes. Now, if you have finished with your stupid questions…” she trailed off, noting the cheeky grin that was plastered on his face.

 

He let her leave at first, but she was only halfway down the stairs when she heard an odd noise and turned just in time to see him sliding down the banister.

 

“Do you have a death-wish?” she asked him angrily, her heart still racing from the shock. “Because if you do, I could give you a hand with that.”

 

He laughed but otherwise ignored her. “Did you really think that I was going to let you go without asking you what brought you to Locksley in the first place?” he asked in an absolutely suiting voice.

 

Of course she didn’t –her Robin wouldn’t–, but she had hoped that would at least be out of the house before he thought of asking her.

 

“So… What brought you here, Marian?” he continued in no more than a whisper. He was absently leaning forward, which was making it impossible for her to concentrate. “Did you hear I was back and couldn’t resist the urge to come and see me?”

 

“No.” She replied snorted, though it sounded slightly hysterical in her ears.

 

“Were you _hoping_ that I would come back and wanted to find me here?”

 

“You always think so highly of yourself, Robin…”

 

“What was it, then, that drove you to Locksley this morning?” he pressed.

 

She looked frantically around the room, desperately searching for something to free her from this mess she had gotten herself into. She knew that Robin would see right pass her lies –despite their time apart, he was still the one who knew her best–, and she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of knowing how important he still was to her.

 

“Master? What are you doing up? I thought you were supposed to be resting…”

 

Robin and Marian turned to the source of that voice and found Much looking at them from the threshold. They both sighed, Robin in defeat, for he knew that he wasn’t going to get anything from her now, and Marian in triumph, because she knew her secret was safe for another day at least.

 

“Much, I am sure you remember Marian, don’t you?” Robin asked, smiling slightly at her smug expression. “She surprised me in my bedroom when I was in the process of changing clothes.” He added, his eyes fixed on her face. His words had the exact effect he had hoped they would have: the smile shifted from smug to embarrassed, and a soft blush coloured Marian’s delicate features.

 

Much’s eyes shifted from one to the other several times before finally settling on his master. There was a moment of silent communication between the two of them before the young lord looked away.

 

“It is good to see you again, milady.” Much told her, bowing his head in her direction.

 

“It is good to see you too.” She replied, and she meant it. As a kid she had been almost as closed to Much as she had been to Robin and she had been genuinely worried for his safety.

 

Taking advantage of the silence that followed, the Lady announced that she would go. She could feel that Robin’s eyes were on her again, but she refused to acknowledge him.

 

She could tell that they were following her as she made her way to the stables and could feel their eyes on her back when she got on her horse.

 

“Goodbye then.” She waved in their general direction. “I suppose I will see you around somewhere.”

 

“Oh, of course you will. In fact, you will see us later today.” Robin promised, grinning like the idiot she knew he was.

 

Her resolve to leave without spearing him a glance vanished when she heard the word _today._

 

“Today?” she repeated, spinning her horse around so that he was facing him.

 

“The Council of Nobles, remember?”

 

“ _You_ are going to the Council of Nobles?” she asked incredulously.

 

“Of course I am! Last time I checked, I was still Lord of these lands.” He reminded her. _And I probably won’t be Lord for long_ , he added in his mind, remembering his encounter with Gisborne earlier that day.

 

“You hate those meetings.” She said.

 

“I do not!” he cried indignantly. “I love those meetings. In fact, those meetings were the only thing I was looking forward to as we came back, weren’t them, Much?”

 

 “Huh? You were?” Noting the look his friend was giving him, Much quickly added, in what he hoped was a sincere tone, but ended up sounding rather sceptical. “ _Of course_ you were! All you’ve talked about all this time were these meetings!”

 

Marian could have questioned him further, but she was really going to be late and she knew that Robin and her were inching ever-so-slightly to a fight and she really wanted their first intercourse in five years to end civilly. So she limited herself roll her eyes and turned her horse back around as she muttered: “Whatever…”

 

Before she was gone, she stole a glance over her shoulder, hoping that Robin was already inside. He wasn’t. Their gazes locked for a second and their eyes conveyed what they were too stubborn to say out loud.

 

“ _I have missed you. I love you._ ”

 

And then she was gone.

 

“Liar.” Much told his master once they were alone.

 

“What?” Robin asked, turning to his best friend with faking hurt.

 

“ _’Those meetings were the only thing I was looking forward to as we came back’_?” He repeated. “Pleeeease.”

 

 **“** I did miss those meetings. Remember when I was a kid and I would sneak out to look for Marian? I _have_ missed that,” he reminded him with a wink. “As for the other Lords... Well, I don’t anticipate them being any happier to see me than I will be to see them.”

 

They walked back to the house.

 

“She is still unmarried.” Robin commented after a short silence, trying to make it sound as if he didn’t care. “She lives with her father, hence, she is still unmarried.”

 

Of course, Much knew him better than that.

 

“Oh. And here I thought you had gotten over her…” he said. He was throwing back words that Robin had told him earlier, not that he had ever believed them to be true. It would have been obvious to anyone that knew Robin how much he still loved Marian, and there wasn’t anyone who knew him better than Much.

 

“I am over her!” He assured him. “I am just saying…”

 

“You are over Marian. Sure. Keep telling yourself that.”

 

“I am, Much. She broke our engagement, she told me to forget her and I _did!_ ”

 

“Yeah, right.” Much muttered. “You are as over her as I am over food. And I’m not over food. I’m hungry. And you are hungry too. It is just that… your hungers… they are different from mine.”

 

Robin was shocked for a moment at the analogy and the he laughed. Of course his friend was right. He was hungry for Marian; there was no better way to put it. Hungry for her touch, hungry for her smiles, hungry for her kisses… He had lived without her for as long as he could manage, but he couldn’t go on now. He needed her, and he would do _anything_ to gain her back. Seeing her today, just like he remembered her, had given him hope. Hope that maybe, not everything was lost between them.

 

“Let’s get us something to eat, Much.” He said, still wearing the stupid smile everyone loved to hate. “We have a meeting to attend to.”


End file.
